Suspect Arrest in a Twist of Fate

He had been interviewing, searching and putting in extra hours, all in attempt to locate Jared Burtard. The man who sent Parachute into a lock-down after he allegedly threatened his brother-in-law with a .22 rifle.

The run came to an end in an unusual way on Thursday night. This is thanks to Officer Jeremy Hawkins' need to get away from Parachute and this continuous search.

Officer Hawkins says, "My mind was working overtime, so I decided to take my wife and kids and my father to Grand Junction for dinner."

After dinner the family was heading back to Parachute when the gas light came on.

"I forgot to get gas in Grand Junction like I usually do and I had to stop in Cameo," says Hawkins.

This turned out to be a twist of fate. After pumping his gas Officer Hawkins went in to the store to pay. That's where he say Jared Burtard on the pay phone. Right away Hawkins knew he had found what he had been searching for.

Hawkins says, "I was in complete shock."

This is especially because he had spent hours and hours on interviews and patrol looking all over Parachute and surrounding areas.

Hawkins says," To stumble upon him in a store in Cameo is just mind boggling. I walked behind him and called him by his name and he turned around and said yes."

Hawkins wasn't on duty so he called the Mesa County Sheriff's Office to assist in the arrest. This all while Hawkins was on a family outing, but this just added to the fun for his kids.

Hawkins says, " My kids were so excited to see daddy at work, but they were even happier to now be able to go outside and play at school again. The entire town of Parachute is just relived."

A relief thanks to one man's need to get away from it all, but instead he ends up right in the middle of it.

Burtard was taken to the Mesa County Jail. He will be transported back to Garfield County to face charges of felony menacing.

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